Trauma Recovery

A serious, sustained look at a character processing trauma canon inflicted and then ignored — nightmares, triggers, therapy, relapse, and the slow reconstruction of a sense of safety. Often written with notable care and research.

55,000 works

What is Trauma Recovery in fanfiction?

A serious, sustained look at a character processing trauma canon inflicted and then ignored — nightmares, triggers, therapy, relapse, and the slow reconstruction of a sense of safety. Often written with notable care and research. With over 55,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Trauma Recovery is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.

Why readers love Trauma Recovery

Canon breaks characters and cuts to the next season; these fics stay in the aftermath, and many readers find their own experiences honored in that patience.

Examples of Trauma Recovery

A former child soldier learning that flinching is not a character flaw, or weekly therapy chapters charting two steps forward and one back across a full year.

Best Trauma Recovery Fanfics

The highest-rated Trauma Recovery stories across all fandoms on AO3.

1

2am Knows All Secrets [original]

Complete

by Unbreakable_Red_Riot

… It wasn’t that he was annoyed.Okay, maybe he was a little annoyed, but that was just the lack of sleep talking. Because a certain explosive punk thought it was a good idea to test the flammability of his sheets at 2 in the morning. Every single morning.(In which Bakugou's quirk wakes Kirishima up,

33,941 kudos 59,033 words ~237 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Slow Burn Hurt/Comfort Fluff
2

Reach out for you (break these walls)

Complete

by Paladin-Pile (UserFromPluto)

Keith is trying to make himself smaller, to bury his head deeper in his knees, and Lance’s heart freezes in his chest. Anger dissipating like an exploded firework, Lance lets his hand fall limply to his side, mind blurring with static. When he tries to speak, nothing comes out but a choked noise, so

16,138 kudos 9,139 words ~37 min read Teen And Up Audiences
KLangst Week 2017 - Freeform Hurt/Comfort Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
3

birds fly in every direction

by distracted_dragon

Tim Drake lives a perfectly good life. During the day, he's a freshman at Gotham Academy. At night, he surveils criminal activity and sends detailed analyses to Commissioner Gordon. If he's lucky, he might even get a photo of a Bat or two. He even writes increasingly popular LinkedIn articles about

9,944 kudos 169,596 words ~679 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Found Family a family can be a batdad a bat grandad and their ridiculous batkids Hurt/Comfort
4

doesn’t mean that i was never afraid

by yhronez

Rose volunteers for a nonprofit that rescues sex-trafficked omegas, and Shane thinks it's a great cause. He even attends their fundraising galas. Then, one night, Rose calls to ask for a favor: She wants Shane to let a recently-rescued male omega live with him. In his apartment. His name is Ilya, Ro

9,503 kudos 94,928 words ~380 min read Mature
Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics Alpha Shane Hollander Omega Ilya Rozanov
5

a locket of self desire

Complete

by lightning_anon

Tommy has fucked up. Look he knows he has. He pushed people away, took his brother's meds, and caused his other brother to have a meltdown. He's done some bad things. But that's in the past and he's doing better. He's made his amends and worked on his self worth. Just because he's fucked up in the p

8,771 kudos 50,814 words ~204 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Alternate Universe Alternate Universe - Foster Family Foster Care AU
6

Under Review

Complete

by esh

Shane doesn’t realize he’s braced for silent eyes until he feels the absence of it — the weight of teammates immediately finding him and going quiet, waiting for him to fuck up, to say the wrong thing, to exist wrong. He expects the chatter of a room to drop when he enters and its disconcerting to f

8,749 kudos 18,982 words ~76 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Homophobia Racism Violence
7

The Sensible Thing To Do

by lovelysandlonelys

Midoriya Izuku realized that he could never become a hero.Alternatively: if Izuku took Bakugou’s advice but didn't succeed.

8,362 kudos 90,537 words ~363 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Characters to be added as the story progresses Suicide Attempt Suicidal Thoughts
8

The Last In Line

Complete

by xiaq

“Sorry,” Steve says. “I’m sorry, I know this doesn’t make any sense to you, but can I just–”Eddie lets him approach, this time. Lets him reach out to touch, to curl his fingers in the hem of Eddie’s shirt.“Sorry, I know I probably sound crazy, I just––” he pulls it up, stares at Eddie’s side, and th

7,372 kudos 30,738 words ~123 min read Mature
Time Travel Time Travel Fix-It Fix-It
9

Go back

Complete

by Nyala47563746

Love and pain are two sides of the same coin, but opposite nonetheless.When Bakugou Katsuki was nine, his mother was diagnosed with mental illnesses.Before she got sick she was his mom. She would cook breakfast and dinner and she would do all the chores with a small smile on her face and a tired loo

7,261 kudos 86,963 words ~348 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings Bakugou Katsuki Needs a Hug Hurt Bakugou Katsuki
10

Every Night the Longest Day

Complete

by ashtreelane

Honestly? None of them take mystic as seriously as they should. Sure they respect it and are fascinated by it (excluding Donnie), but none of them really considered the dangers that it may hold for the four of them.A fight with a mystic user is going to change that forever.____________________Leo is

7,134 kudos 42,224 words ~169 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Post-Movie: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2022) Curses Magic
11

The Good War

by inwardtransience

Despite her best efforts, Elizabeth Potter is repeatedly drawn into situations she wants absolutely nothing to do with. People just refuse to leave her the hell alone.

6,635 kudos 2,806,346 words ~11226 min read Explicit
Female Harry Potter Slytherins Dark Harry
12

Guitar Strings and Keyrings are What it Takes to Build a Home

Complete

by Anonymous

Techno was adopted by Phil when he was 12 years old. He'd been enjoying his morning before Phil came to him asking if he would mind them taking in another kid. Against his better judgement, Techno agrees and ends up with two new foster brothers who he was determined to not get attached to, no matter

6,551 kudos 63,234 words ~253 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Family Bonding No Romance no romantic relationships
13

Of Cold Hands Reaching

Complete

by UncannyCookie

After six months in Mogami's mind world that weren't even real anyway, Mob returns to his old life.Everything is fine.

6,019 kudos 17,323 words ~70 min read General Audiences
Angst Fluff and Angst Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
14

2am Knows All Secrets [[REVISION]]

Complete

by Unbreakable_Red_Riot

... It wasn't that he was annoyed.Okay, maybe he was a bit annoyed, but that was just the lack of sleep talking. Because a certain explosive punk thought it was a good idea to test the flammability of his sheets at two in the morning. Every single morning.In which Bakugou's quirk wakes Kirishima up,

5,954 kudos 80,934 words ~324 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Revised Version Slow Burn Hurt/Comfort
15

don't forget (all you gotta do is call)

Complete

by carolinaa

Aizawa's seen signs of something wrong for a long time. It takes a student's direct words to put change into motion.

5,787 kudos 7,286 words ~30 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD Implied/Referenced Child Abuse Mental Health Issues
16

3:16

by partingxshot

The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow.“Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between

5,218 kudos 70,762 words ~284 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Implied/Referenced Child Abuse Platonic Slow Burn two people ramming their heads into an emotional language barrier
17

Graceless Heart

Complete

by shushu_yaoi_lj

Harry is lost and broken after the war. He has gone to countless funerals, broken up with Ginny, moved back into Grimmauld Place—which feels darker and dirtier than ever before despite how much he tries to fix it. He feels lonely and desperate, but he won’t ask for help, and he still can’t cry.When

5,197 kudos 132,132 words ~529 min read Explicit
Angst with a Happy Ending Down and Out Draco Malfoy Emotional Hurt/Comfort
18

The Wire Mother

Complete

by nopaintjustpain

I lived with this hunger long before the Hail Mary. This is nothing new. I’m fine. Right up until Rocky asks another question. “When last time you touch other human person skin, question?” Oh. Oh no. “When I… a few days after I first woke up here.” Rocky starts to relax for a split second, but then

4,999 kudos 55,343 words ~222 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Whump Hurt/Comfort Angst and Hurt/Comfort
19

i don't wanna feel better

Complete

by Cypherr

But he had been a child. A wide-eyed kid with no other perception of the world. Maybe it had been better that way. Maybe it hadn't. Tommy didn't know. Maybe he never would.  It hadn't been perfect– damn far from it– but it had been home. And, despite how that definition has morphed over the years, i

4,888 kudos 109,242 words ~437 min read Teen And Up Audiences
POV TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF) Traumatized TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
20

Post-Hoc

Complete

by Trixree

Master Jinn says, “I’d like you to start with a reflection. A written report. In order to grow, one must first confront one’s past mistakes. This is what I’d like you to do, Obi-Wan.” Obi-Wan swallows down the overwhelming urge to laugh. There’s a part of him, a part of him that has adopted Nield’s

4,887 kudos 6,526 words ~27 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Post-Melida | Daan Civil War (Star Wars) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD Childhood Trauma

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Trauma Recovery fics are on AO3?

There are over 55,000 works tagged with Trauma Recovery on Archive of Our Own.

What fandoms have the most Trauma Recovery stories?

Popular fandoms for Trauma Recovery include MCU, Attack on Titan, Naruto.

How can I read Trauma Recovery fanfiction on my phone?

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